Holding Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre responsible for rising price in essential commodities, specially onion, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh staged demonstrations across the State on Wednesday.
BJP State spokesman and chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Mining Corporation Rameshwar Sharma while talking to The Pioneer alleged that the Congress was hand in gloves with the black marketers and the stock holders of the essential commodity and to get financial assistance from them for the Assembly elections in five States it has let them scot-free to loot the common man.
“Why before every election the prices of the onion shoot up. Is it coincidence or a plan that whenever the Prime Minister and the Union Agriculture Ministers go on foreign tour the prices of this essential commodity rises like anything,” he asked.
Congress general secretary and former State chief minister Digvijay Singh had earlier held the BJP Government of State responsible over rising onion prices. Taking on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Government, Digvijay Singh had said that onions are being hoarded in godowns in parts of Madhya Pradesh, but the ruling BJP Government was not doing anything.
He also expressed hope that the prices would stabilise with the arrival of fresh domestic products by December-end. He blamed hoarders for the recent spike in prices.
What may prove to be more problematic is that in many cases, farmers are holding on to their stocks expecting better prices. Moving against them may be politically prohibitive.
Farmers are far more powerful as a political constituency both because of numbers and the fact that they don’t carry the stigma attached to hoarders.